By Michael Ireland, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
(ANS - JOS, NIGERIA, Jan. 23, 2015) -- Morning Star News’ Nigeria Correspondent reports that Christians in Niger are joyfully meeting in homes under police protection as they plan to rebuild church buildings and houses after attacks last weekend (Jan. 16-18) that were unprecedented in scale. Churches could see further attacks as the task of rebuilding begins.
(ANS - JOS, NIGERIA, Jan. 23, 2015) -- Morning Star News’ Nigeria Correspondent reports that Christians in Niger are joyfully meeting in homes under police protection as they plan to rebuild church buildings and houses after attacks last weekend (Jan. 16-18) that were unprecedented in scale. Churches could see further attacks as the task of rebuilding begins.
“Nothing of this magnitude has
ever happened in this nation,” wrote one missionary couple in the
capital, Niamey. “Nearly every church in the capital city of Niamey was
burned or looted, along with some schools and orphanages and several
other churches and Christian homes throughout the nation.”
Morning Star News stated that
Muslims protesting the depiction of the prophet of Islam in the French
satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo destroyed 72 church buildings and
killed at least 10 people in attacks that began in Zinder on Jan. 16 and
hit Niamey the next day, according to Christian support organization
Open Doors. A church leader today put the total of ruined church
structures at 68, and a final count remained uncertain.
Morning Star News reports that
analysts suspect a growing amount of Islamic extremist preaching,
coupled with political rivals fanning flames of furor over Niger
President Mahamadou Issoufou participating in a unity march in Paris
against the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo offices, contributed to
the scale of the attacks. More than 170 people were reported to have
been injured.
“Last
night the church members met for prayer as the pastor, who lost
everything, encouraged them by flashlight to not only stand strong, but
to move forward and to know that this attack will grow the church,”
wrote the missionary couple to concerned partners. “The room was dark on
the outside but illuminated by the fire in the hearts of His people,
even as stones were being thrown on the roof.”
In spite of the violence, so
many present at the church meeting were eager to share testimonies of
God’s faithfulness during the attacks that they were asked to wait until
Sunday, they added, according to the Morning Star News report.
“Our two churches in Niamey,
along with the pastors’ homes, were destroyed,” they wrote. “We also
have three Bible schools that sustained various amounts of destruction.
The overall damage was extensive, and there is much loss. Now begins the
process of rebuilding and restoring what was lost.”
The Rev. Mai’aki Kadaidai,
president of the Evangelical Church in the Niger Republic (EERN), told
Morning Star News by phone that attacks on Christians and churches were
spread across five regions and the capital.
“This is the first time we are
witnessing violence of this magnitude against the church and
Christians,” Kadaidai said. “In all, 68 churches were destroyed across
five regions of Agadez, Damagaram, Diffa, Maradi, Zinder, and in our
country’s capital city of Niamey. The Muslim rioters destroyed five of
our [EERN] churches, destroyed four homes of our pastors and many of our
members were adversely affected.”
Morning Star News went on to
report that Abubakar Shekau, leader of extremist group Boko Haram in
neighboring Nigeria, released a video after the unrest saying attacks in
Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon would continue. Native Christian
workers in Niger aided by Christian Aid Mission, which assists
ministries based in the country, said there were signs that more attacks
could follow.
“There have been rumors of
people going around marking Christians’ houses for further attacks,” a
ministry leader native to Niger wrote on Tuesday (Jan. 20), according to
Christian Aid Mission. “Later in the night, we received several phone
calls from local Christians and missionaries that confirmed that their
houses were marked. Please continue to pray for the very insecure
situation in Niger.”
A Christian leader in Niamey
said 46 Protestant church buildings and 15 Catholic worship sites in the
capital were burned, according to Christian Aid Mission. At least three
Christians killed in the attacks were trapped inside church buildings.
Morning Star News explained that
attacks began on Jan. 16 in Zinder with the destruction of several
church buildings and Christian-owned homes. Several other towns suffered
damages as the violence spread to the capital by the next day, with
angry Muslims also looting shops, attacking police stations, bars and
hotels, and ransacking businesses that were either of French origin or
owned by non-Muslims.
It stated that Charlie Hebdo had
published a cover cartoon of Muhammad carrying a sign with the slogan
(“I am Charlie”) that signified solidarity with free speech and the 12
victims of the shooting deaths by two Islamic terrorists at the
magazine’s offices on Jan. 7. Depictions of Muhammad are forbidden in
most branches of Islam, and prominent schools of Islamic jurisprudence
prescribe death for defaming him.
Monring Star News further
explained that Muslims make up about 98 percent of Niger’s population
and have lived in relative peace with the country’s miniscule (0.3
percent) Christian minority. In spite of growing Islamic extremist
elements within the country, few in Niger expected to hear the chants of
“Kill the infidels, kill the Christians,” as protestors ransacked the
nation. Niger was unranked on Open Doors’ 2015 World Watch List of the
worst persecutors of Christians.
The president of Niger called
several Christian leaders together to give him counsel on how to restore
calm after the devastation on Saturday (Jan. 17), pastors said.
The amount of damages has yet to
be calculated, but the missionary couple said rough initial estimates
of repairs needed for their ministries would total more than $45,300.
“Our first priority is to take
care of the needs of our pastors and their families,” they wrote. “They
both lost almost everything.”
Preliminary estimates of damages
to their pastors’ properties were $23,000; church properties, $16,000;
and Bible school property, $6,300. Further building repairs were yet to
be determined. Those wishing to contribute for repairs can do so at
http://runintl.org.
“The estimates are still coming
in, and in a country considered one of the poorest in the world, the
rebuilding task seems insurmountable,” they wrote. “But Jesus told us
that nothing is impossible to him who believes.”
Photo: A pastor leads a Christian meeting by flashlight at damaged church building in Niamey, Niger. (RUN International).
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